This vegan gluten-free and sugar-free healthy blueberry muffins recipe is so easy – just 40 minutes to make and bake. The homemade lemon blueberry muffins are nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free and allergy-friendly. Fluffy vegan lemon muffins studded with juicy blueberries, topped with crunchy cinnamon streusel topping and a simple lemon glaze. Utterly delicious! The muffins are nutritious for breakfast, a delightful treat for afternoon tea and healthy addition to school lunch boxes.
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Healthy Blueberry Muffins with Streusel (Paleo,Gluten-Free, No Sugar)
These gluten-free vegan lemon blueberry muffins with cinnamon streusel were inspired by the delicious, tender blueberry muffins Laurice from Laurice’s Kitchen published on her YouTube channel, which you should totally subscribe to because she’s fantastic! I’ve made her delicious and easy homemade muffins many times in the last few years.
Healthy muffins – vegan gluten free blueberry muffins recipe
One of my best friends is gluten intolerant and isalways looking for muffins without gluten. So making a no-gluten blueberrymuffins bakery-style has been on my list for a while now. And since my husbanddoesn’t consume sugar anymore, I decided to come up with a low carb-ish,gluten-free, sugar-free and vegan blueberry muffins recipe that we all canenjoy while also honouring Laurice’s original true and tested muffin recipe.
This healthy blueberry muffin recipe is free from thetop eight allergens in food ingredients including milk, eggs, tree nuts,peanuts, wheat and soybeans. The so-called Big-8 account for most foodallergies and I’m happy to report that this muffins recipe contains no dairy,eggs, wheat flour, soy, nuts or peanuts.
Truth to be told, you probably won’t be able to tellthat these healthy blueberry muffins are vegan, gluten-free and made withoutsugar. They taste just like the real thing and have all the flavours of theclassic blueberry muffins you love!
Healthy muffins for kids
Healthy blueberry muffins for toddlers and childrenare a great treat for breakfast, lunch boxes, or afterschool snack. To make thebest toddler muffins bake the muffins in a mini muffin tray.
Healthy breakfast muffin recipe
Start the day right with moist gluten free muffins! Thesevegan muffins are a healthy breakfast on the go and one of the best healthy breakfastideas. The muffins provide energy for many hours are and can be easily packagedand transported.
Ingredients for healthy blueberry muffins withapplesauce and no sugar
What areblueberry muffins made of? Below is all list of the ingredients for gluten-freeblueberry muffins. I tried to suggest as many options as possible to give you awide range of products that you can choose to make this healthy vegan muffinrecipe paleo-friendly too.
Gluten-free flour
I used Bob’s RedMill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour to make gluten-free blueberry muffins.Cup 4 Cup gluten-free flour is anothergood choice. It’s not necessary to add xanthan gum to these gluten-free flourblends.
I wanted an allergy-friendly muffin recipe, so I keptit nut-free. If nuts aren’t an issue, then feel free to replace 1/3 third ofthe gluten-free flour with almond flour.In this case use 1 1/4 cups / 150 g / 5.3oz gluten-free flour and 3/4 cup / 90 g / 3 oz almond flour.
This homemade muffins recipe can’t be made with onlyalmond flour as the muffins won’t rise and bake trough. Coconut flour isn’tsuitable either. I’m working on keto muffin and cupcake recipes, so stay tunedketo friends. Ketogenic muffin recipes are coming, I promise.
Sweetener
I used SwerveGranular for the muffin batter and to make the cinnamon streusel, while theglaze was made with lemon juice and SwerveConfectioners. I only made the recipe with Swerve products and love thatthese don’t have a bitter aftertaste or cooling effect. They also offer a bakers bundle which has both products and isa little cheaper than buying them individually.
I imagine MonkfruitClassic 1:1 Sweetener and MonkfruitPowdered Sweetener will probably work just as fine, but I haven’t testedthem.
Sugar options for paleo muffins
If you follow the paleo diet or sugar-free muffinsaren’t an issue, use either coconut sugaror light can sugar to make these healthyvegan blueberry muffins paleo-friendly. Darkcane sugar makes the muffins slightly darker and adds a delicious caramelnote. Simply replace the Swerve sweetener with the same amount of your choiceof unrefined sugar as indicated in the recipe card below.
Gluten-free non-dairy milk for dairy-free muffins
I made the muffins with pea milk, which is a non-dairy milkalternative made from peas. This plant-based milk has a rich and creamy textureand neutral flavour, while also being rich in proteins and nutrients.
This hypoallergenic beverage is naturally lactose-,nut-, soy-, and gluten-free and a dairy-free alternative to cow and nut milks.Unsweetened pea milk is also low in carbs and calories. I recommend pea milkfrom Ripple or Bolthouse Farms.
Pea milk might be difficult to find, so you also havethe following dairy-free and nut-free milk options:
- coconut milk
- soy milk (notsuitable for soy allergies)
- oat milk (somebrands contain gluten)
- rice milk(sometimes made with enzymes that contain gluten)
- flax milk
- hemp milk
Be sure to check that the milk of your choice isactually gluten-free. Sometimes vegan milks are made in an environment wherealso products with gluten are processed, or enzymes that contain gluten areused to produce the milk. Also, keep in mind that some milk alternatives areloaded with sugar, so always check the ingredients list and try to buy anunsweetened variety.
Canola oil
The muffins get their hearty yet fluffy texture from canola oil. Sunflowerseed oil or a light-tasting olive oilcan also be used.
Vegan blueberry muffins with applesauce
Unsweetened applesauceis a wonderful vegan egg substitute and keeps the muffins light, fluffy andmoist. Applesauce also adds to the fruity note of the blueberries and lemons.
When baking test batches, I also tried the muffinswith pear and peach puree, which both worked perfectly andcan be used instead of apple sauce. I especially loved the blueberry lemonmuffins with pear puree, such a perfect blend of fresh, fruity aromas.
I wouldn’t use a chia or flax egg in this healthymuffin recipe because this vegan egg alternative leads to a slightly densermuffin texture, which I didn’t like.
Baking powder
My healthy blueberry muffins were made with baking powder.but can you add bakingpowder to gluten free muffins? Yes,the following brandsoffer aluminium- and gluten-free baking powder: Bob’s Red Mill, Rumford, Argo, and I’m Free.
It’s no problem to use baking soda since the muffin batter is madewith lemon juice, which is necessary to activate the soda. The only differenceI found between making muffins with baking powder vs baking soda is that bakingpowder will make the muffins rise a little more.
Lemon juice and zest
I used the freshly squeezed juice and finely gratedzest of a fresh, organic lemon. Always wash waxed lemons under warm, runningwater before grating the zest. Other citrus fruit such as orange or lime wouldalso be delicious in place of the lemon.
While working on the recipe, I was debating if Ishould make traditional bakery-style blueberry muffins or lemon blueberrymuffins. I love both versions but think that the extra tang lemons bring tomake these gluten-free, vegan muffins perfect.
Blueberries
Should I use fresh or frozen blueberries? You canprepare the muffins with both fresh and frozen blueberries. If using frozenblueberries, don’t let them thaw but fold the frozen berries into the batter.Rinsing frozen blueberries under cold water for a few seconds beforehand helpsto avoid the berries bleeding into the batter.
Cinnamon streusel
Topping your healthy blueberry muffins with vegan,gluten-free streusel is optional, but I highly recommend it. The streuselbrings a bit of crunch and a lovely hint of cinnamon to the mix. Blueberrystreusel muffins are simply prettier and give you these bakery-style muffinslook.
Gluten-free flour, Swerve Granular, vegetable shortening or vegan butter and 1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon are all you needto make the streusel. You also could omit the cinnamon or substitute with ablend of other spices or lemon zest for lemony streusel.
Lemon glaze
Although we already have a lot going on wit thesehomemade lemon blueberries muffins, I decided to finish them with a refreshinglemon glaze. The glaze is super simple and quick: just stir Swerve Confectioner and lemon juice into athick glaze and drip over the freshly baked muffins. Soooo good!
I have a penchant for sweet and sour treats. So I usedpure lemon juice. If sweet-sweet is more up your alley, make the glaze withSwerve confectioner and vegan milk or coconut cream instead.
Tips for how to make healthy blueberry muffins
Gluten-free lemon blueberry muffins are not thatdifferent from regular ones. If you have made one kind or the other before, thesteps involved to bake the best blueberry muffins are the same. Your mixer cansit this one out. You only need a largemixing bowl and whisk to prepare thissimple one-bowl muffin batter.
Make the gluten-free cinnamon streusel
I usually make the vegan streusel first and then putthem aside while I prepare the muffins. To make the streusel, add the flour,sweetener, ground cinnamon, and vegetable shortening or vegan butter in a smallmixing bowl and crumble with your fingertips until streusel form. If you don’twant to add streusel, skip this step.
Mix the vegan muffin batter
The first step is to whisk all wet ingredients in alarge mixing bowl until everything is well combined. Then, drop the dryingredients into the bowl and stir until just combined. The batter will looklumpy, and that’s perfectly fine. Over-mixing will only make the muffins toughand dense.
Fold in the blueberries
Next, fold the blueberries carefully into the batterwith a rubber spatula or wooden cooking spoon. Again, don’t over-mixand try to keep the blueberries intact to avoid the berries staining thebatter.
Fill the muffin pan/tin
Line a regular-sized, 12-hole muffin or cupcake pan/tin with paper cupcake liners/cases. Then divide the batterevenly among the 12 muffin cups. A big ice cream or cupcake scoop is perfect for this job. Topwith the streusel.
If you prefer naked muffins (without paper liners) grease each muffin cup well. Otherwise, themuffins will stick.
Tip for extra gorgeous blueberry muffins
After filling the muffin batter into the pan/tin, studthe muffins with a few extra blueberries on top. Looks super enticing andseriously, who could say no to more blueberries?
Bake the healthy blueberry muffins
Pop the muffins in the oven until the top looks goldenbrown, and a cake tester or skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean,for about 20 to 25 minutes. Let muffins sit in the pan for a few minutes, thentransfer them onto a wire cooling rack tocool completely.
Glaze the muffins
In a small mixing bowl, stir the Swerve Confectionerswith enough lemon juice to get a thick glaze. Drip the glaze over the muffins.
How long can I store the healthy blueberry muffins?
Do youneed to refrigerate blueberry muffins? For the best shelf life, keep the muffins for aweek in an airtight container in thefridge. Give the muffins a few minutes to come to room temperature beforeenjoying them.
Can you freeze blueberry muffins?
Can youfreeze muffins? Yes, these lemon blueberry muffins freeze and defrostperfectly and can be stored in the freezer for 3 months. I always keep a few ofthese gluten-free muffins as easy make-ahead breakfast in the freezer. Simplypop them in the microwave or toaster oven to defrost and your good to eat tastyand healthy blueberry muffins for breakfast.
More muffin recipes
- blackberry muffins
- pistachio muffins
- peanut butter muffins
- pumpkin spice muffins
Healthy Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Yield: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
This vegan gluten-free and sugar-free healthy blueberry muffins recipe is so easy – just 40 minutes to make and bake. The homemade lemon blueberry muffins are nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free and allergy-friendly. Fluffy vegan lemon muffins studded with juicy blueberries, topped with crunchy cinnamon streusel topping and a simple lemon glaze.
Ingredients
Gluten-free blueberry muffins
- 2 cups / 240 g / 8.5 oz gluten-free flour
- 3/4 cup / 180 ml / 6 fl oz dairy-free milk
- 1/2 cup / 115 g / 4 oz Swerve Granular
- 1/4 cup / 90 ml / 3 fl oz canola oil
- 2 tbsp / 30 g / 1 oz unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
- 1 cup / 150 g / 5.2 oz fresh or frozen blueberries
Vegan cinnamon streusel
- 1/4 cup / 30 g / 1 oz gluten-free flour
- 1/4 cup / 60 g / 2 oz Swerve Granular
- 2 tbsp vegetable shortening
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Sugar-free lemon glaze
- 1/2 cup / 60 g / 2 oz Swerve Confectioners
- 2 – 3 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Add all ingredients for the streusel to a small bowl. Using a pastry knife or cold fingertips, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C / gas mark 4.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sweetener, oil, milk, applesauce, and lemon juice. Using a whisk, mix until thoroughly combined.
- Add the baking powder and lemon zest and mix thoroughly.
- Add the flour and mix until just combined; the batter will be lumpy.
- Carefully fold in the blueberries using a rubber spatula.
- Line a muffin tin with baking cups and divide the batter evenly.
- Sprinkle with the streusel topping and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove muffins from the pan after 5 minutes and allow to cool completely.
- Make a thick glaze from the powdered sweetener and lemon juice. Drizzle over the muffins.
Notes
How long can I store the healthy blueberry muffins?
Do you need to refrigerate blueberry muffins? For the best shelf life, keep the muffins for a week in an airtight container in the fridge. Give the muffins a few minutes to come to room temperature before enjoying them.
Can you freeze blueberry muffins?
Can you freeze muffins? Yes, these lemon blueberry muffins freeze and defrost perfectly and can be stored in the freezer for 3 months. I always keep a few of these gluten-free muffins as easy make-ahead breakfast in the freezer. Simply pop them in the microwave or toaster oven to defrost and your good to eat tasty and healthy blueberry muffins for breakfast.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 180Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 91mgCarbohydrates: 20gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 3g
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